1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of pet toys, and more specifically, to a pet toy comprised of two parts, one of which fits into the other, each part, having a plurality of internal upwardly extending gripper petals, a series of grooves and ridges that extends around the circumference of the inside of each part to facilitate the interlocking of the parts, a window and a flared trip perimeter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many dogs need mental stimulation and engagement to keep them entertained. Pet toys with recesses for finding and extracting treats exist. With practice, a canine can figure out how to get to treats out of these toys more quickly, reducing the toy's entertainment value and useful life. Examples of such toys include U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,366 (Mauldin, Jr., 1998) (disclosing an animal toy with gripping shafts, gripping spines and holding grooves for accepting and containing a variety of sizes of treats) and U.S. Pat. No. D388,559 (Mauldin, Jr., 1997) for the design of the same toy; U.S. Pat. No. D420,056 (Mauldin, Jr., 2000) (depicting a saucer-shaped pet toy design with gripping splines and holding grooves similar to those found in the '366 patent); U.S. Pat. No. D658,825 (Wolfe, Jr., et al., 2012) (showing a pet toy design in the shape of a honeypot with a plurality of external ribs); and U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,66 (Chefetz et al., 2013) (providing a pet chew toy in the shape of a ball with opening that lad into interior chambers inside the body of the ball); see also U.S. Pat. No. D546,508 (Robertson, 2007) (illustrating a toy designed for horses in which a cartridge containing a lick treat is inserted and clicked into a round outer housing).
The present invention is unlike any of the pet toys described above in that it comprises two parts, each of which has a plurality of internal gripping petals that extend upward from the bottom of the part toward the open top. The open top of each of the two parts is flared outward to allow for better interlocking between the two parts. Inside of each part and directly beneath the flared top are a plurality of grooves and ridges. These grooves and ridges facilitate the fitting of the smaller part into the larger part and allow the degree of interlock between the two parts to be adjusted. The window in each part gives pets another opportunity through which to access the treat (in addition to the open top). Finally, the weighted bottom on each part causes the part to right itself with the open top combination of structural features.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide dogs with mental stimulation and joy by hiding treats inside a durable molded toy with multiple levels of difficulty and a variety of treat configurations. Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-part toy in which either part functions independently as a toy for hiding treats. Another object of the present invention is to provide a two-part toy in which the two parts fit together to create a puzzle that must be solved in order to access the treat. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of adjusting the degree of interlock between the two parts to present a greater or lesser challenge to the dog by varying the level of difficulty associated with separating the two parts. Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy in which there is more than one way to access and extract the treat. Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy in which each of the two parts is weighted on the bottom so that the toy rights itself with the open top always facing upward.